138k Flybuy Limit to Velocity - frustrating!

[GSP]

if you are earning more than 138K on retail spending good luck to ya! you worked hard so there is plenty of earnings capacity to spend those Flybuys points
elsewhere.

Otherwise the cap is obviously there to prevent those abusing the system by using the credit cards for business trading etc. There is no chance iyou are going to win that argument with a "I want more" rationale.

With the current bonus sign on offer of 100k points for first year, 50k points for 2nd year. Then throw in a number of 10k points for x$ spend over 4 weeks and other associated bonuses it makes it more real. In fact it makes it probably, at least for the first year, so it may take a few years to extinguish your points.

I do get without the sign up points it would be difficult unless you're the Octomum.

 

[z28]

138k in points, and it takes a couple of years

138K points/year !! Why don't you transfer last/every year around June or November when 15% bonus is on ?

 

[slaussie]

Hi All,

Given that Woolies has improved their Qantas earn rates and transfer process.

What do you think the chances of Flybuys removing the 138k limit on transfers to Velocity. I find the limit frustrating - we should be able to choose the rewards we want without a limit.

At the end of the day, they are ‘our’ points that we have earned for our continued loyalty to Coles and their affiliate stores.

Once I hit the limit, I’m more inclined shop at Woolies. Flybuys you might be able to shed light on this topic. @flybuys

I recall a one-off promo some many months ago, maybe even as much as over a year ago (?), when flybuys' annual transfer limit to velocity was lifted. I was glad to use it as I needed quite an amount of velocity points to transfer to krisflyer and remember had several hundred K flybuys points that helped me through double transfer secure a lovely trip on sq. But to the point of annual transfer cap, rules can be changed even if they are written into a contract, so there must be some commercial reason for this cap to have been put in place and for it to still stand. From a member perspective it's a nuisance all right! But other than teh transfer cap, my bigger beef with flybuys is the time it takes to credit bonus points - 4 weeks! In today's age, that's redicolous - I can see just them manually spreadsheeting qualifying transactions for 4 weeks after the promotion and then uploading to flybuys in bulk. This is where woolies is by far superior in that on the very transaction, either the checkout machine or the receipt confirm bonus points credit, total balance, AND the transfer to qf taking place. QF account shows these points within 24 hrs. Although I have been using flybuys vigorously from their inception, woolies is slowly winning me over with their speed of transfer. And the recent improved conversion rate may be just enough to swing a few extra votes.

 

[Mr H]

I have hit the 138,000 total in the past. One year I got to 160,000 - just through shopping, getting a 10,000 points offer most months, 20,000 for Christmas, weekly coupons for triple points or 500/750/1000 bonus points, one off multiple thousand bonus points on the bottom of receipts, and buying products with bonus points attached. I only redeem during 15% bonus periods and at the time they waived the cap during bonus periods so I wasn't even aware that I had exceeded the cap.

 

[blacksultan]

I have hit the 138,000 total in the past. One year I got to 160,000 - just through shopping, getting a 10,000 points offer most months, 20,000 for Christmas, weekly coupons for triple points or 500/750/1000 bonus points, one off multiple thousand bonus points on the bottom of receipts, and buying products with bonus points attached. I only redeem during 15% bonus periods and at the time they waived the cap during bonus periods so I wasn't even aware that I had exceeded the cap.

Have you considered having more than one flybuys account ?

 

[Mr H]

Have you considered having more than one flybuys account ?

I hadn't, but the more I think about it the more advantages I can see.

 

[Wello]

Paying via Flybuys travel is equivalent to the current virgin cash price for the ticket you buy. It will vary according to the price, eg $100 fare will be 20000 flybuys points. Virgin reward seat will always be a set amount of points.

This can be an advantage particularly if flying in Y and you can also book Qantas through Flybuys travel. i have booked a return flight to LA with Qantas for later this year In Y. I need to keep my current points stash for a business class flight to Europe later so Y it is for this trip. If I wanted to book a return Qantas reward flight it would be 83800 Qantas points plus $386 cash. At the time a return flight was $960 cash, and I had 120,000 flybuy points equivalent to $600 cash. Therefore using 120,000 flybuy points (equivalent to 52,200 velocity points or 60300 velocity points with15% offer) and $360 cash top up I was able to book Qantas flight. Therefore better value than the Classic Reward with Qantas. Also by doing this I was able to use Flybuys to fly Qantas rather than Virgin which was my preference.

 

[Mr H]

This can be an advantage particularly if flying in Y and you can also book Qantas through Flybuys travel.

Could you really not have found a better use of 60,000 velocity points than paying for 60% of an economy return to LAX? The fact that it would have cost even more using Qantas points still doesn't make it good value IMO.

 

[Wello]

Could you really not have found a better use of 60,000 velocity points than paying for 60% of an economy return to LAX? The fact that it would have cost even more using Qantas points still doesn't make it good value IMO.

Thanks for your concern, well aware that there is better value for the points and will be using my KrisFlyer points for a much better return. However I raised this as an example for when you can’t transfer you points to Velocity because of the Flybuy limit. Obviously what I suggested is not for everyone but met my needs in this instance.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

Even with a reasonable spend, Just myself and Mrs Phoenix it's easy to go past the 138k limit if you check and use the bonus offers, though maybe I'm guilty of spending too much on First Choice offers. This year I was about 24k over the cap.
2018 was awesome, the transfer as much as you want offer component didn't add to the total and really made a difference. They would only need to do this once a year to satisfy most people.